Assemblage Structure of Palaeotropical Frugivorous Bats at Mineral Licks Sites in Deramakot and Tangkulap Forest Reserve, Sabah

Few studies have been done on natural mineral licks visitation on bat fauna, particularly in Borneo and Southeast Asia in general. Little is known about the assemblage of bats using mineral licks and this study was done to determine assemblage structure of Palaeotropical bats at six established mineral licks in Deramakot and Tangkulap Forest Reserve, Sabah. The main findings of the present study revealed that Palaeotropical frugivorous bats were using mineral licks, observed through their behaviour of drinking from mineral licks, supported by their high species occurrences at mineral licks and higher concentration of water insoluble soil tracer elements, Al and Si detected in their faeces in comparison with non-visitor bats. The five species of bats Macroglos susminimus (n=3), Balionycteris maculata (n=2), Cynopterus brachyotis (n=1), Megaerops ecaudatus (n=2) and Penthetor lucasii n=(1) were observed drinking from mineral licks. Four species of frugivorous bats (M. minimus, B. maculata, C. brachyotis and P. lucasii) frequently occurred at all six sites at mineral licks. In addition, there were higher enrichment Al and Si in M. minimus faeces (n=5) in comparison with non-visitor bats suggesting that frugivorous bats got those elements from ingestion of mineral lick muddy water

Records of Bornean felids in and around Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia

We photo-captured four of the five species of Bornean wild cats in Tabin Wildlife Reserve (Tabin WR) and in the nearby forest fragments located within a matrix habitat of mature oil palm plantation. The four species were Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi, Bornean bay cat Pardofelis badia, marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata, and leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis. A fifth species, the flat headed cat Prionailurus planiceps, was photographed earlier in 2002 (Yasuda et al 2007), but was not detected during our study. The leopard cat was photographed from all sampling sites, but all other species were photographed only from the forest habitats of Tabin WR. Despite consisting mainly of regenerating secondary forest, Tabin WR may still constitute an important component for the preservation of the Bornean Wild cat species in Saba

First molecular data of the Borneo Banteng Bos Javanicus lowi from Sabah, Borneo

Phylogenetic relationships among three subspecies of banteng, Burma banteng Bos javanicus birmanicus in mainland Southeast Asia, Javan banteng Bos javanicus javanicus in Java, and Bornean banteng Bos javanicus lowi in Borneo, and the presence/absence of interbreeding between wild Bornean banteng and domestic cattle in Sabah, Malaysia, were investigated by partial sequences of cytochrome b and D-loop of mitochondrial DNA. The results show that genetic distance of the Bornean banteng are relatively close to the gaur Bos gaurus/gayal Bos frontalis (the cytochrome b, 0.004–0.025; the D-loop, 0.012–0.021) followed by Burma banteng (the cytochrome b, 0.027–0.035; the D-loop, 0.040–0.045), and kouprey Bos sauveli (the cytochrome b, 0.031–0.035; the D-loop, 0.037–0.042). There are much greater distances between Bornean banteng and domestic cattle, Bos taurus and Bos indicus (the cytochrome b, 0.059–0.076; the D-loop, 0.081–0.090). These results suggest that the Bornean banteng diverged genetically from other banteng subspecies and that the wild Bornean banteng from this study are pure strain and have high conservation value

Prognostic Impact of Number of Resected and Involved Lymph Nodes at Complete Resection on Survival in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

BackgroundLymph node (LN) status is a major determinant of stage and survival in patients with lung cancer. In the 7th edition of the TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors, the number of involved LNs is included in the definition of pN factors in breast, stomach, esophageal, and colorectal cancer, and the pN status significantly correlates with prognosis.MethodsWe retrospectively investigated the prognostic impact of the number of resected LNs (RLNs) and involved LNs in the context of other established clinical prognostic factors, in a series of 928 consecutive patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent complete resection at our institution between 2000 and 2007.ResultsThe mean number of RLNs was 15. There was a significant difference in the total number of RLNs categorized between less than 10 and ≥10 (p = 0.0129). Although the incidence of LN involvement was statistically associated with poor prognosis, the largest statistically significant increase in overall survival was observed between 0 to 3 and ≥4 involved LNs (hazard ratio = 7.680; 95% confidence interval = 5.051–11.655, p < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, we used the ratio between the number of involved LNs and RLNs. The number of RLNs was found to be a strong independent prognostic factor for NSCLC (hazard ratio = 6.803; 95% confidence interval = 4.137–11.186, p < 0.0001).ConclusionComplete resection including 10 or more LNs influenced survival at complete NSCLC resection. Four involved LNs seemed to be a benchmark for NSCLC prognosis. The number of involved LNs is a strong independent prognostic factor in NSCLC, and the results of this study may provide new information for determining the N category in the next tumor, node, metastasis classification

Notes on the mammals from Imbak Canyon Conservation Area

Primary forest sites for biodiversity conservation in Sabah are declining. Therefore, biodiversity surveys in areas where primary forests still exist are of paramount importance. Information derived from such studies are crucial in order to develop sound biodiversity conservation management plans. A brief camera trapping study of six days and nights in a localised area at the southern slopes of the Imbak Canyon Conservation Area in Sabah, supported by direct and indirect observations, revealed a rich mammal community in the surveyed areas. A total of 23 species of small to large-sized mammals from 6 orders and 13 families were recorded. Compared to an earlier study in the same area, the mammal species recorded in the present study included 14 species that are new records for Imbak Canyon. Clearly, Imbak Canyon is an important area for mammal conservation

X-Ray Analysis Literatures 2010

本総説は，2010年に学術雑誌に掲載されたX線分析関連の論文において，注目すべき論文を厳選し紹介する．調査した学術雑誌は19件（和雑誌2件含む）であり，X線分析の発展に寄与しているものを対象としているが，分析化学の分野だけでなく，分光学や物理学の分野も網羅している．各雑誌に関して，X 線分析手法や測定された試料の傾向，分析技術や要素開発に関するトピックスの他に，特筆すべき論文には論評も記している．日本工業規格（JIS）におけるX線分析関連の規格の制定や改訂についてまとめている．X線関連メーカーのウェブサイトを紹介し，掲載している技術レポートの情報も得られる．　In this article, the interesting X-ray analysis-related literatures, which are published on academic journals during the year 2010, are summarized. The number of the researched journals is 19, including two Japanese journals, which contribute the advance of the X-ray analysis in the field not only of analytical chemistry but also of spectroscopy and physics. In every journal, the trend of the X-ray analysis methods and of the measured specimens, the topics of analytical technique and of the developed components of the X-ray analysis apparatus, and the comments for the nortable articles are mentioned. The constitution and revision of standards of X-ray analysis on Japanease Industrial Standard (JIS) are shown. The websites of the company related with X-ray tools or X-ray apparatus are also shown, and the information on technical reports is available

First molecular data on Bornean banteng Bos javanicus lowi (Cetartiodactyla, Bovidae) from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo

Phylogenetic relationships among three subspecies of banteng, Burma banteng Bos javanicus birmanicus in mainland Southeast Asia, Javan banteng Bos javanicus javanicus in Java, and Bornean banteng Bos javanicus lowi in Borneo, and the presence/absence of interbreeding between wild Bornean banteng and domestic cattle in Sabah, Malaysia, were investigated by partial sequences of cytochrome b and D-loop of mitochondrial DNA. The results show that genetic distance of the Bornean banteng are relatively close to the gaur Bos gaurus/gayal Bos frontalis (the cytochrome b, 0.004–0.025; the D-loop, 0.012–0.021) followed by Burma banteng (the cytochrome b, 0.027–0.035; the D-loop, 0.040–0.045), and kouprey Bos sauveli (the cytochrome b, 0.031–0.035; the D-loop, 0.037–0.042). There are much greater distances between Bornean banteng and domestic cattle, Bos taurus and Bos indicus (the cytochrome b, 0.059–0.076; the D-loop, 0.081–0.090). These results suggest that the Bornean banteng diverged genetically from other banteng subspecies and that the wild Bornean banteng from this study are pure strain and have high conservation value

タマガワゲンリュウイキ ノ チュウオオガタホニュウルイソウ ショクガイヨボウ ノ タメ ノ センサーカメラ ニ ヨル ジゼンチョウサ

多摩川源流域山梨県小菅村の奥山2地域と里山2地域の計4地域において,2008年4月から12月までの9ケ月間,6台のセンサーカメラによって,げっ歯目と翼手目を除く中大型哺乳類相の調査を実施した(1,130カメラ日)。その結果,11種の中大型哺乳類が確認され,撮影頻度(100カメラ日あたりの撮影枚数)が高い種は,上位からニホンジカ(Cervus nippon ; 12.9),イノシシ(Sus scrofa ; 5.4),テン(Martes melampus ; 4.5),ニホンザル(Macaca fuscata ; 3.3),そしてタヌキ(Nyctereutes procyonoides ; 3.1)であった。1位のニホンジカの撮影頻度の割合(32.7%)は,2位のイノシシ(13.7%)に比べ2.4倍高く,4地域すべてにおいて相対的に高い値を示した。また,調査4地域において,対象種の撮影頻度の合計が最も高い傾向を示したのは,湧水域を対象とした奥山地域B(120.2 ; 8種)で,続いて里山地域A(46.0 ; 9種),里山地域B(44.5 ; 10種),奥山地域A(17.3 ; 10種)の順であった。湧水域の撮影頻度の高さは,この地域の個体数あるいは利用頻度の高さを反映したものであり,この地域が野生生物管理にとって鍵となる環境であることが示唆された。Census of the middle to large mammalian species except for rodents and Chiroptera was conducted by 6 camera-traps at 2 areas of a secluded mountain and 2 areas near villages in a total of 4 areas of Kosuge, Yamanashi, central Japan for 9 months from April to December 2008 (1,130 camera-day). The 11 species were photographed and compared with the photographed frequency (number of photographs per 100 days). The top five species were the sika deer (Cervus nippon ; 12.9), followed by the wild boar (Sus scrofa ; 5.4), the Japanese martin (Martes melampus ; 4.5), the Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata ; 3.2), and the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides ; 3.1). The rate of photographed frequency of the sika deer (32.7%) was 2.4 times higher than that of the wild boar (13.7%). Between 4 areas the sum of photographed frequency of focal species was the highest in the area of secluded mountain A containing spring water (120.2 ; 8 species), followed by the area near the villages A (46.0 ; 9 species), B (44.5 ; 10 species), and the area of secluded mountain B (17.3 ; 10 species). The photographed frequency at the spring water may reflect population density and/or visitation frequency of the animals, and suggests that the area is one of the important habitats for wildlife management